In the 1950s, black bears only occupied the most remote and mountainous regions of New York, such as the Adirondacks, Catskills, and Allegheny mountains. Over the past 70 years, bears gradually expanded their range and now occupy most areas of the state except Long Island and New York City.
After hibernating through a long winter, these now groggy black bears are beginning to venture out of their dens, stretch their legs, and look for their first meals of spring. For people living or visiting bear country, March is a time to become bear aware.
If you observe a bear out-and-about this spring, including photos from a trail camera, you can contribute to a Paul Smith’s College study recording bear sightings to track timing of bear den emergence.
Adult male bears are usually the first to emerge and may have lost up to 30 percent of their body weight, while females with nursing cubs emerge later and may have lost up to 40 percent of their body weight.
Bears are especially hungry in the spring due to depleted fat reserves and will search extensively for easily obtainable, calorie-dense foods.
While bears have access to plenty of natural foods in the spring, they will readily use human food sources such as bird feeders, unsecured garbage, chicken coops, apiaries, or messy grills and pet food left outdoors.
Continued access to human food sources can make bears bolder, which can lead to an escalation in human-bear conflicts around homes and residential areas.
As conservationists have long-said “a fed bear is a dead bear,” a statement that highlights their propensity to become more aggressive after being wittingly or unwittingly fed and their eventually being put-down.
To avoid these bear conflicts, follow these seven tips from BearWise.
By taking some time to remove and/or secure food sources that might attract bears, you help keep bears away from people, homes, and neighborhoods.
This helps keep bears healthy, wild, and safe.
Read more about Black Bears in New York State.
Photo of hungry black bear courtesy DEC.
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